No one other than Elvis Dumervil has put consistent pressure on quarterbacks this season for the Baltimore Ravens, and Jason Babin remains the most high-profile spectator on the sideline.
Babin, who was signed three days after Terrell Suggs went down with a season-ending Achilles injury this month, has yet to play a snap for the Ravens. He has surprisingly been inactive for the last two games.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked what it was going to take for Babin to suit up for a game.
"When [Babin is] ready, and when he’s going to give us the best opportunity to win and the way the numbers work out," Harbaugh said. "You only get 46 [active players], and you only get so many at each position, and you try to do the best you can with those numbers.”
The Ravens made Babin inactive for their Week 2 game at Oakland after coach John Harbaugh said he was confident that Babin would "line up and play good football." Baltimore sacked quarterback Derek Carr one time.
After coaches criticized the effort of the defensive players against the Raiders, the Ravens still made a high-motor player like Babin inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals. Baltimore chose to go with rookie fourth-round pick Za'Darius Smith, whose play was described as "average" by Harbaugh earlier that week.
The Ravens have seven sacks this season, but two have been from inside linebacker C.J. Mosley and two have come from defensive backs (cornerback Jimmy Smith and safety Will Hill). Baltimore has a total of 26 pressures on quarterbacks this season, which ranks No. 19 in the NFL.
Dumervil has 10 quarterback hurries this season, and nobody else on the defense has more than three. Courtney Upshaw, who lines on the opposite edge as Dumervil, hasn't had a full sack in 30 consecutive regular-season games.
If the Ravens aren't going to play Babin, it makes you wonder why they signed him in the first place.
